


there was a star danced, and under that was i born

by writerblender



Series: much ado about nothing [1]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Parents, M/M, it's not really an au it's just billy and steve being parents, literally just... DADS its great
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-06-25 03:03:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19737031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerblender/pseuds/writerblender
Summary: i love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest[or, the single dad!billy falling in love with steve series you've all been waiting for, featuring dogs and billy's adorable daughter named bea]





	there was a star danced, and under that was i born

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stonecoldbucky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stonecoldbucky/gifts).



"Dad?"

Beatrice’s voice is quiet, still rusty from sleep, and it’s accompanied by the signature soft tap of dog’s feet against the wooden floor. Sure enough, when Billy turns to his daughter, she’s standing in the doorway to the living room, hall light bathing her in a distorted glow. She’s swallowed up in the fabric of one of his old band t-shirts, grasping her small stuffed monkey under her right arm. Next to her, Puck whines, trying to push his head under Beatrice’s arm, replacing her toy with his own comfort. Billy makes a mental note to pick it up later, before it becomes Puck’s new favorite chew toy.

”C’mere,” Billy says, voice equally coarse. He lifts his elbows from their resting spot on his knees, opening his arms as he straightens on the couch. It’s been his place for refuge post-nightmares ever since Bea entered his life but, as she’s gotten older, she’s also gotten smarter. There’s not many places Billy can hide anymore.

Beatrice shuffles towards him sleepily, rubbing her eyes until she stumbles into his waiting arms. Billy picks her up into his lap, strong arms holding her steady as she lays against him. Puck, at their feet, whines again, resting his head on Billy’s knee. 

“You should be asleep,” Billy says, tone light even as he admonishes her.

”Heard s’mthin’,” she mumbles into his shirt, eyes guilty as she looks up at him. “Did you have a bad dream again?”

”No, but you might’ve if you heard something. Maybe it’s time to go back to bed, yeah?” He’s too tired and frankly too frightened by what his own mind has seen in the past hour to argue with Bea now. Every time he closes his eyes, he can only see that _thing_ , dragging him through the steelworks as he cried for help, attaching to his face and drowning out his screams, forcing him to elicit screams from others in the worst way — He keeps his eyes open now, focused on Bea. She's one of the few lights left in his life and he refuses to let anything change that.

”Don’t lie!” Bea’s voice escalates, her tiny brow furrowed in frustration, and Billy stops in shock. She sounds so much like Jane that it makes his chest hurt. Puck whines, pawing at the couch gently. 

”Was there monsters?” Beatrice continues. Billy doesn’t answer and Bea takes his silence as an affirmative to her question.

”We can check under the bed again. Just to be sure. Puck will protect us,” Bea says.

”There’s no such thing as monsters,” Billy huffs, hand moving to run through her long hair. He doesn’t know how to tell her — doesn’t know if he ever _will_ — that he was (that sometimes, he thinks, he still _is_ ) the monster they’re both so afraid of. _He's_ the only monster in this house.

"Don't worry about me, Bea, alright?” She snuggles up closer to him, head resting in the crook of his neck and tiny nose buried in his t-shirt. “Your dad can take care of himself.”

“But I thought that’s why you love Steve,” Bea says, small hand coming up to play with the medallion around his neck. Billy almost drops her in pure surprise of her observation and Bea must notice, as she looks up at him again. The pendant falls from her fingers, bouncing against his chest lightly. “You protect the people you love from monsters. Like Steve does.”

Billy can only smile at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead as her eyes begin to drop. It's late for her to be awake, especially when she's thinking so wisely.

Bea rests her head back against his shoulder as Puck huffs softly at his feet, pacing and sniffing under the couch nervously. Clearly, he still thinks Billy is a threat to Bea. Some days, Billy does too. He’s so lost in thought and Bea is so quiet that Billy almost misses what she says next.

”St’p, Puck. Steve already checked under there.”

...

One hot night in spring, Billy lost Beatrice. It was only upon losing her that he found Steve Harrington again.

Billy had been downstairs, grabbing leftovers from the diner for their own dinner tonight — Mrs. Fowler had even been kind enough to include extra for the next few days, saying she knew all too well about single parenthood — and he'd almost been back upstairs, both styrofoam containers in his hands, when he realized Bea wasn't trailing behind him, piping up curious questions with each step. He'd turned around, hoping that Bea was just eating some sweet snuck to her by Mrs. Fowler or just unusually quiet ( _that_ , he can handle) but had only found an empty stairwell.

The styrofoam containers hit the ground, food splattering everywhere, at the same time that Billy's feet had reached the ground, throwing open the door to the diner in the next instant. Mrs. Fowler had worriedly exclaimed she hadn't seen Bea since she'd sat down on the stool next to Billy and Billy had blanched into a blind panic, sprinting outside, eyes darting down the street — what if the Upside Down had found _her_ it could have _anyone_ it could have _him_ again but not _her please God not her not Bea_ —

Billy had turned the corner, feet nearly tripping over themselves, and come face-to-face with Bea, holding onto Puck's collar tightly, talking to Steve fucking Harrington of all people. Steve Harrington, bent down at her side, listening intently as Bea continued to ramble on.

"Billy _Hargrove_?" Steve had sputtered, eyes widening in surprise as they settled on Billy's frame.

"Dad!" Bea cried, excitedly letting go of Puck's collar and racing towards him. Billy, too thrilled to have found Bea safe, collapsed to his knees, holding her close to him, hand cradling the back of her head.

"Bea, you _can't_ do that," he'd scolded, Bea's face instantly twisting with confusion. "You can't leave without telling me where you're going."

"But Puck was all _alone_ outside!" Bea pouted, pointing down to where Puck was pressed against Billy's side — always keeping a watchful eye on Bea. Billy wants to scream _so much for keeping her safe now_ but he holds his tongue, focusing on the small girl in his arms as he stands.

"He did look kinda sad," Steve mumbled, shrugging as Billy sent him a harsh glare. He was _trying_ to teach his daughter a lesson.

"Even if Puck is all alone, baby," Billy continued. "You have to tell me first. I thought I _lost_ you."

"I'm sorry, Dad," Bea'd mumbled, lower lip pouting as she reached for another hug, tiny arms wrapping around Billy's neck. Billy had just held her, thanking whatever higher power was above him for returning Bea back to him, before he'd met Steve's gaze.

"Harrington."

" _Dad_?" Steve had repeated stupidly, eyes still wide in surprise. "Since when are you a _dad_?"

"I told you my name is Beatrice _Hargrove_! B-E-A-T-R-I-C-E H-A-R-G-R-O-V-E!” Beatrice yelled from Billy’s arms. “And this is my dog. Puck! P-U-C-K H-A-R — !”

”Bea, that’s enough —.”

”And we live up there, on 3-8-1-8 —!”

“Okay, _okay_ , Bea. It’s okay,” Billy said, hand gentle on her back. Bea pouted at Steve but held onto Billy regardless. "Yeah, she's mine. What's it to you?"

"Just... _surprised_ ," Steve mumbled. "You didn't seem like the settle down with a wife and kids type."

"Well, there's no wife," Billy had snapped, causing Steve's eyes to widen even further. "It's just us."

"And Puck!" Bea cried excitedly from his side and Billy laughed, squeezing her arm gently as he continued. "Just us and Puck," Billy corrected himself and Bea beamed. Before either Steve and Billy could continue their conversation, Bea interrupted them yet again.

"Dad?" Bea asked, turning Billy's attention to her once again. "Can we have Steve over for dinner tonight, _please_? I already told him we were gonna have leftovers from Mrs. Fowler and he said he loves it here."

"Bea..." Billy began as Steve made quick work to assure him it was alright, he was just trying to make conversation with her in hopes to find her parents.

"Please!" Bea begged, bouncing in Billy's hold. "Please please _please_. We never have friends over. Even Puck likes him! _Please_!"

Billy had looked over to see Puck eyeing Steve before licking the other boy's opened palm. Sighing and switching his hold on Bea, he nodded. "Alright, Harrington, you can come. But you're paying. Our shit's all over the stairs."

Billy thinks then, that if he'd known that it would lead to finding the love of his life, he would've thanked Puck for looking so damn lonely outside.

...

Bea watches from under the blankets as her dad opens the door, only for Steve to embrace him in the doorway. Her dad hides his face in Steve’s shirt — kinda like she does when she gets scared at the TV — and tries to hear what Steve is telling her dad but he’s talking too quietly for her to hear. She turns away a few seconds later — after all, her dad _did_ teach her snooping is bad. She closes her eyes, pretending to be asleep as Steve and her dad talk to each other and Puck actually does fall asleep next to her.

She’s almost actually asleep too when she feels her dad picking her up, blanket and all. She reaches for Puck, who is already awake and following her with attentive eyes.

“Damn, that dog really does love her,” she hears Steve marvel in a whisper and she opens her eyes, squinting to see Steve standing next to her dad. She moves her hand to wave at Steve and he winces guiltily, waving back at her.

”Hi, Bea,” he says. “You can go back to sleep now.”

Bea shakes her head, nuzzling in closer to her dad. “Wanna stay with you.”

”Okay,” Billy says, kissing her head softly. “I'm not going anywhere. We’re right here, Bea.”

And, true to his word, Billy stays by her side all night.

Bea takes full advantage of that early next morning, jumping on both Steve and Billy, curled around her and each other, to wake them up.

If they retaliate by tickling her and smothering her in kisses before they all fall back asleep, well, none of them complain.

**Author's Note:**

> tag yourself i'm bea running away from home to pet a dog
> 
> this entire fic is for syd, who absolutely came up with half of this (and the GENIUS billy loving shakespeare hc) and bc i just love her a lot okay  
> 
> 
> title from shakespeare's 'much ado about nothing' -- also where this series gets its name!
> 
> hope y'all liked it <3


End file.
